PATRICK COWLEY, gay disco’s synthesizer star, died two Saturdays ago of a nasty form of cancer — just as his marathon remix of Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ finally saw the light of day here . . . Morgan Khan’s latest project, unveiled at Mayfair’s Gullivers to a big trade party on Tuesday, is an 8-track full 12in length £2.99 collection of current soul hits called ‘Street Sounds — Edition 1‘ on the new Streetsounds label via PRT (CBS couldn’t get it pressed before Christmas on Streetwave), on LP but with most emphasis placed on the cassette version — slogan “C60 packs of the latest dance tracks” — containing Greg Henderson, Raw Silk, Peech Boys, Grandmaster Flash, ‘Message’, and more “heavy” surprises — some value, huh, kids?! . . . Marvin Howell is releasing imminently on System 12in an odd back-to-back coupling of Michelle Wallace ‘Jazzy Rhythm‘ and the less interesting Brenda Watts ‘Who Needs A Love Like That‘ — what a pity he couldn’t have used Northend ‘Tee’s Happy’ instead, as that is now turning into a monster all over again! . . . Record Shack have evidently picked up Scherrie Payne’s current gay chart topper . . . ABC fans if they’re very quick (and really lucky) might just find in a few shops a special DJ-only 12in version of ‘The Look Of Love’, given a brilliant much emptied out 120bpm “scratch” remix full of clever freaky tricks . . . Edgbaston’s Faces French (in Auchinleck Square by the Five Ways roundabout) holds its 3rd annual DJ Convention this Sunday (28) starting at 2pm, £3 admission at the door — see you there! . . . Thames Valley DJ Assn’s big Shownite 83 celebration to mark their 5th anniversary on 17th January at Hounslow’s Red Lion Hotel will feature the Cold Hand Band live, awards and many major label promotions, tickets at £3 but all DJs will have guest invitations from TVDJA, PO Box 39, Staines, Middlesex . . . Planet Patrol appears to be the new name for Soul Sonic Force . . . Steven Spielberg’s action against ‘E.T. Boogie’ (which hasn’t stopped it being one of London’s top disco sellers last week) seems unfair now that so many other inferior ‘E.T.’ records are coming out — or will they all get solicitor’s letters too? . . . ‘Car Wash’ on telly last week probably prompted a revival of the Rose Royce oldie, the LP version being 110-113-115-117-119-123(break)-121-124bpm (Gwen McCrae varies down beautifully out of the break!) . . . Rick James’s disastrous UK visit also included a PA at Charing Cross’s Heaven on his first night in town, but he was greeted by boos when all he did was throw out a few album sleeves and then walk off . . . Marvin Gaye’s LP does indeed feature a frequency which creates an acoustic feedback-type effect over club speakers, and unfortunately every copy of Sonny Charles’s great ‘Can’t Get Enough’ LP track has a groove that jumps (unless using next to no pickup weight) . . . Mike Ward (Sheffield 0742-879882) will happily supply legitimate London area radio and club jocks with 12in copies of various down home US soul singles, none of the ones he’s sent me quite coming up to the production standard that it takes to make a disco hit but all are of interest . . . Pez, busily funking Mondays with Steve Murphy at Birkenhead’s Chelsea Reach (upstairs), is after upfront alldayer work on 051-639 5746 . . . Dobie Gray’s 147bpm ‘Out On The Floor‘ Northern Soul classic has been re-released on Inferno (via Pinnacle) to tie in as the title of an upcoming BBC Play For Today all about a Northern allniter . . . Graham Hunter “The Rapping Funky Scot” (Basingstoke) got a free copy of ‘Kilimanjaro’ from Virgin’s Danny Goodwin . . . Terry Lennaine has belatedly been given (he never bought it of course!) a copy of the Gunchback Boogie Band ‘Funn‘, which he’s now flogging to death on BBC Radio Merseyside . . . Kev Hill (Basildon 0268-702626 daytime) offers money for the full LP length version of Major Harris ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait’ . . . Colin Harris (Fareham), having trouble buying Wham, recommends Radio Victory’s Saturday evening 6-9pm Funkadelic show . . . Teesvalley Roadshow roadie Alistair Jones’s dad died of a heart attack just before Alistair had to go to a gig, but putting on a brave face he lived up the old showbiz dictum and the show went on . . . Evelyn King’s current 7in is flipped not by ‘Shame’ but by ‘I Can’t Stand It’, which must blow its chances as the most logical follow-up . . . 50p 12in picture discs have now been followed by current singles dumped in the ’30p each/4 for £1′ bin as a route to the charts, I see . . . Wolverhampton’s Eve club has a bad case of paranoia . . . “As the fly hit the windscreen, what went through its mind?” — “Its backside!” . . . PUSH IT!

UK NEWIES

MALCOLM McLAREN & THE WORLD’S FAMOUS SUPREME TEAM: ‘Buffalo Gals’ (Charisma MALC 12).
A pity in a way that it’ll be this somewhat opportunistic single which will make everyone aware of the New York DJs freaky “scratch” gimmick (as on ‘Mt. Airy Groove’), but this compulsively extraordinary clucking and smacking 108½bpm 12in amalgamation of funk, rap and square dance (really!) is a mindblower regardless, with a less dense vocal mix plus a straight 135bpm square dance version (great party fun) on 2-track flip.

NEW YORK SKYY: ‘Let Love Shine’ (Epic Streetwave EPC 13-2957).
Morgan Khan in putting this slick emptily soulful 120-121bpm lickety-spit shuffler on the 3-track 12in A-side has hidden the far more impressive sweet then worryingly pent-up 115-116-117bpm ‘Won’t You Be Mine‘ on the flip, along with yet another (claimed as “the ultimate”) 116-117bpm Shep Pettibone remix of ‘Let’s Celebrate’.

“Q”: ‘The Voice Of “Q”’ (Philly World PWSL 106).
Spacily synthesized and vocodered 115bpm 12in jiggler, around for ages on import and now evidently re-edited with the allegedly altered instrumental version as A-side.

FREDA PAYNE: ‘In Motion’ (Buddah 12 BDSL 498).
Ridiculously late UK release for an excellent bang up to date sounding 116½bpm 12in return by the still young sounding ‘Band Of Gold’ lady.

SYL JOHNSON: ‘Sweet Thing’ (LP ‘Ms Fine Brown Frame’ US Boardwalk NB-33260-1).
Chicago recorded terrific old style soul set, a must for vintage fans, this straightforward 119bpm canterer being most obvious for today’s dancefloors although the real gas is the bluesily driving 125-124-0bpm ‘Groove Me‘, with James Brown-ish rhythm and wailing Sugar Blue harmonica.

BO BOSS: ‘Tequila’ (US Emergency EMDS 6533).
The Champs ’50s instrumental given a clippety-clop 120½bpm 12in electrophonic revamp which works well in the current style, some jocks flipping for the ‘Hao Hao Ha Tequila‘ treatment.

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In the same week that scratching is finally called by its proper name (albeit in the context of tracks by ABC and Malcolm McLaren), the “nasty form of cancer” which afflicted the late Patrick Cowley has yet to be christened as AIDS.

And the first mention of the legendary Streetsounds compilations too – over the next 4 or 5 years these were everywhere. Full 12” versions and of the best tunes were what made them a cut above anything else.
A bit like Deep Heat later in the decade but more underground than that series and Deep Heat didn’t use 12” versions.

That’s right. Hudson was the first celeb to get it but not die of it. Looked into that yesterday. So tragic how many great artists died of it. Sharon Redd, Dan Hartman, Larry Levan, Jermaine Stewart, Sylvester..